


Taking a Chance

by whynot



Series: Gage and Bishop [6]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: M/M, Non-Canonical, Original Character(s), Parenthood AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-07 09:43:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12838530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynot/pseuds/whynot
Summary: Kay comes down with a bad cold, and Jill wants to help.





	1. Chapter 1

Kay's ears pricked when he heard the faint sound of crying floating towards him - hiccuping and high pitched. It made his skin feel weird, had his expression twisting. He followed the sound towards a dead tree in the distance where a small camp had been set up. Next to a dead drifter was a little girl - couldn't be older than 6 years. Her face was smeared with grime and her red hair was matted by filth. Her small hands clutched at the woman's flannel shirt.

"Hey," Kay said gently, not wanting to scare her. Her big eyes widened and she fumbled around until her fingers closed around the grip of a 10mm pistol. She aimed it at him, the barrel shaking. "Woah, woah. I ain't gonna hurt ya. I mean, you can shoot me if it'll make ya feel better, but. I'd rather you didn't." He slowly reached for his bat and tossed it away. "I promise, I ain't gonna do nothin'."

"My mama," the little girl mumbled, bottom lip quivering. "She won't wake up."

 _Fuck._ "If you put the gun down I can come over there and see what I can do. Okay?" When she didn't lower the weapon, he added, "My name's Kay."

She shifted her weight. "... I'm Jill." She didn't drop the pistol, instead curled her arms back, aiming at the sky.

 _Smart._ "I'm gonna take a look at her, okay?" He knew that the woman was dead already, but he also knew that this was his best chance to get closer. Jill nodded, and Kay slowly made his way over to her. He crouched down in front of her mother, holding back a cringe at the paleness of her skin. He placed his fingers over her cold neck. Like expected, there was no pulse. "I think it's too late, squirt."

"You said you'd help her."

"I said I'd see what I can do. I can't do nothin' with someone who's dead." He immediately regretted saying it and cursed his lack of a filter, but thankfully the little girl didn't burst into tears. "I'm sorry about your mom, Jill... I lost my parents, too. I know how you feel."

She sniffled. "I... What am I gonna do? I dunno what to do."

Kay clenched his jaw, wondering if what came to his mind was the best decision. "... I do. First thing's first, we should bury your mama. Then we'll get you cleaned up, get you some food. Sound good?"

 

***

 

Gage opened the door to their loft and froze just after stepping through the threshold. Sitting on the bed was Bishop, a little girl sitting patiently in his lap while he braided her damp hair. Their eyes met, and Bishop paused

"... Kay."

"This is Jill," Bishop blurted. 

Gage nodded, closed the door. "And what's she doin' here? What's a goddamn kid doin' in Nuka World in the first place."

Jill slid off of Bishop's lap and stuck her hand straight out. Gage blinked at her, then enveloped it with his own in a business-like shake. "What's your name?" she asked him.

"Uh... Gage."

"She lost her parents, too," Bishop told him.

Gage started to understand a bit more. "We needa talk. Now."

Bishop scooped Jill up and carried her into the bathroom, then closed the door.

"Hey!" she called.

"One sec, sweetheart." He walked closer to Gage.

"We ain't keepin' 'er," Gage told him.

"Ya say that like she's some kinda pet."

"Well, you just locked her in the bathroom like she is one."

"What was I gonna do, toss her out there with those fuckers?"

"If you're scared about that, then you know why there can't be a fuckin' kid here in the first place."

"Better than her bein' alone outside in the open where some creep can find 'er and ruin her life."

Gage calmed himself down. "You don't have to be responsible for her, Kay. We can take her to Diamond City or somethin'. Together."

Bishop hesitated, then gave a defeated sigh and leaned into Gage, loosely wrapping his arms around him. 

"Can I come out now?" Jill called. "Hey!"

"We'll leave in the morning," Gage told him quietly. "She can stay tonight."

Bishop nodded against his shoulder.

"I'm comin' out!" The door knob jolted twice before the door swung open.

"Hey," Kay scolded gently, walking over to her. "What if we were doin' adult shit."

"Like what?" She reached up, and he hefted her into his arms.

"I dunno. Taxes." 

"What are taxes?"

"Fuck if I know." He carried her passed Gage towards the door.

"Where ya takin' 'er?" he asked with furrowed brows.

"To meet Mae," Bishop shrugged. "She's gotta know there's a kid here."

Jill told Gage, "Come with us."

Gage stood there as they walked through the threshold, trying to grasp what was happening.

"Gage!" Jill's voice called.

"I'm comin', pumpkin," Gage called back tiredly, his steps faltering when he realized what he had just called her. Nicknaming her was fine, right? Everyone nicknamed kids.

Yeah.

 

* * *

 

After Gage checked to make sure no one in the Amphitheater was fucking or fighting out in the open, they took Jill inside, and Bishop let her stand on her own, but kept her hand in his.

"Kayden."

"Uh oh," Bishop mumbled as Shorty approached. "Breakin' out the full name."

"The hell is this?" his brother questioned.

"I think it's called a child, but I'm often wrong, so."

"This isn't the time to be a smart ass, you got a friggin' kid with ya."

"I found 'er. Her mom's dead."

 _No fuckin' filter._ "We're taking her to Diamond City tomorrow," Gage informed.

"Hey, sweetie."

Gage jerked his head towards Mae's voice and saw her crouching down in front of Jill, Mason standing behind her.

"Hi. I'm Jill," the girl introduced, sticking her hand out like she had with Gage.

Mae shook it with a smile. "I'm Mae. This is Mason."

"Tall," Jill whispered to herself, then reached up to Mason. The Alpha cocked a brow before lifting her up. She squirmed out of his arms and climbed to his shoulders, looking around like she was on a skyscraper. 

"What's a cub doin' here, Porter," Mason asked.

"Kay found 'er," he answered. "She was alone, so he brought 'er here."

"I wasn't alone," Jill argued. "I was with mama. But Kay said she was dead."

"That bluntly?" Mae asked Bishop, and he shrugged. Mae sighed and looked up at Jill. "You must feel icky in clothes that dirty. I'll get you some new ones, okay?"

Jill nodded.

"Right now?" Mason asked.

"It'll just take me a few minutes. There's kids in the.... back home, so Liam doesn't need to make any. I'll be back soon. You guys wait here." She kissed Mason's his chest, knowing he couldn't bend down with the kid on his shoulders, then left the Amphitheater. 

"I'm bored," Jill blurted, and it made Gage wonder how she was acting so nonchalant after just losing her mother.

"Story of my life, squirt," Bishop responded, taking her down from Mason's shoulders. 

"Are you going bald?" she asked, rubbing a hand over his shorn scalp.

"Am I goin' bald?" he repeated with raised brows. "Nah, cutie. I keep it shaved."

"Why?"

" 'Cause people yanked me around by it and I didn't like it."

Gage felt his brows twitch. He thought Bishop kept his head stubbled because it just looked good. 

Mae's voice blared from the speakers around the park. " _Hey everyone, just making a little announcement. Bishop, cover her ears please?"_

Brow creased, Bishop set Jill down and cupped his hands over her ears.

" _There's a kid in the park right now, and I just want to make it clear to all of you that if anyone lays a finger on her, I'll have my mutts rip your fucking limbs off." A small pause. "That's all. Have a good day._ " Click.

Mason shook his head. "Only Mae would threaten to have someone ripped apart then wish everyone a good day two seconds later."

Bishop uncovered Jill's ears. "What were you talking about?" she asked.

"We were talkin' shit about you," Bishop joked, as if he wasn't speaking to a 6 year old. Jill looked at Gage with questioning eyes.

"He's just teasin' you, pumpkin," Gage assured, voice thick with amusement. That alone gave him pause - he was already starting to get used to the kid, and it's been less than half an hour. "I, uh... got some things to take care of, Kay. I'll meet up with you later."

The look in Bishop's eyes told Gage that he knew what he was doing. "Sure, big man. Later." He leaned in and gave Gage a quick kiss, and the Raider boss left.

 

Gage went about his usual business for a few hours before deciding to man up and stop hiding from a damn kid. He didn't find them in his territories, so he went back to the amphitheater.

"Lookin' for your boyfriend?" Shorty asked. "He's in Mae's dressin' room actin' like a fool."

"How so," Gage sighed.

"Go see for yourself." Gage moved to do exactly that, but Shorty grabbed his arm. "It's not that I hate the idea. It's just... Kay isn't meant for this. Know what I mean?" 

Gage held his gaze for a moment before simply nodding, and he headed for Mae and Mason's room. He walked right through and into the storage room that Mason had converted into a dressing room for her. Mae was gathering Jill's hair into a neat bun while the kid painted Bishop's lips with a red pigment, one little hand gripping his jaw. She had on a pink dress, while Bishop wore one of Mae's cropped shirts, the fabric stretching over his chest in a way that should be considered a sin.

"It's a nice color on you, actually," Mae complimented. "Red looks good on you."

Bishop smiled. "What d'you think, squirt, is it my color?"

She made a thoughtful noise and paused. Then she swiped the lipstick across Bishop's nose in a vicious lash, and Bishop retracted with a giggle before standing up with a feigned groan of annoyance. "The audacity!" He scooped her up and flipped her upside down, his arms keeping the skirt of her dress pinned to her legs, and Jill shrieked excitedly. "The gall!"

Mae laughed warmly, and Gage felt something tug at his heart. He would've stood there for a while longer, but Bishop noticed him. "Hey, big man." He carefully put Jill down, and she returned to Mae so she could finish her hair. Bishop walked over to Gage and leaned in, whispering in his ear, "Want me to give you a lipstick stamp later, _papi?_ "

He suppressed a groan and whispered back, "Christ, don't say shit like that with a kid in the room."

Bishop rolled his eyes before kissing Gage's temple, then made his way closer to the girls.

"What d'you think?" Mae asked Jill, leading her towards a full-body mirror so she could see her hair.

"Mmmm.... no."

"What about..." Mae thought for a moment. "Here, why don't you sit down and I'll see what else I can do. The boys can paint your nails." Mae lifted a finger when Gage opened his mouth. "Do not argue."

Gage gave up and headed for the several bottles of polish that Mae had on one of the tables. "What color you want, pumpkin."

 

***

 

In the time it took to reach Diamond City, Kay had grown attached to Jill. It was like his heart swelled in his chest and pushed everything around to make room for her to settle. It worried him, confused him. The only solace was that it seemed like Gage was facing the same problem. Kay had seen the smiles and heard the laughter that Jill got out of him, noticed how protective he was getting over her, how he tugged her closer when he felt like something was off.

"Here we are, pumpkin," Gage announced once they were inside the city. "Your new home."

"Oh," Jill mumbled. "So where are we going to live?"

Kay's heart seized. "Jill, do you remember what we talked about? We ain't stayin'."

"Then why are we here?"

He looked to Gage in pleading, not wanting to say it. They had already talked about it, but the plan didn't seem to stick with her.

"You hungry?" Gage asked her instead of explaining.

"Yeah!"

"Let's go get some grub, then. Mae's got a home here, so we'll stay there tonight." He looked at Kay. "Deal with everything in the morning."

 

They ate at Power Noodles and stayed there until dark, then retreaded to Home Plate. The house was set up comfortably, with two beds - one on the first loft, and one below it on the ground floor. Kay and Gage made sure Jill was tucked in and comfortable in the loft's bed before getting into the second bed. 

After a while of not being able to fall asleep, Kay admitted, "I'm gonna miss her."

Gage opened his eyes. "I know, baby."

"Aren't you?"

"Doesn't matter. Jill's better off here, with other kids. She'll be a fuck of a lot safer, and she'll get to go to that school they have here."

"Ain't nothin' in that school that we can't teach her."

"Kay..."

"I just—" He cut himself off when Jill suddenly appeared, climbing over Gage to flop down between them.

"Bad dream," she told them simply, burrowing under the blanket. 

"Story of my life, squirt," Kay muttered. He moved his hand to rake her hair back, but Gage caught his fingers and entwined them with his. "Wanna talk about it?"

"It was about mama." Kay and Gage both tensed at that - she hadn't mentioned her mother since Kay had brought her to Nuka World. "I miss her. But it's okay, because I've got you guys now."

Kay's chest ached, and he started to move so he didn't have to face her. But Gage didn't let go of his hand, and their eyes met over Jill.

_We'll deal with it in the morning._

 

* * *

 

"Jill, just get down here!" Gage called while Kay paced.

"I don't wanna stay here!" she yelled from the walled off bathroom on the second loft. "Not without you guys!"

 _"You're leaving me just like mama did!"_ she had screamed, after Gage finally explained to her what had to happen. It felt like a slap in the face to hear her say that, made Kay flinch. _"Just like papa!"_

"I told ya that we'd visit!" Gage assured.

"I'm not staying! I hate it here! It's boring and it's stupid!"

Gage threaded his fingers through his mohawk and huffed out a sigh. 

"We don't have to leave her here," Kay blurted before he could decide against it. He readied himself to hear Gage snap, but instead the Raider boss sighed again.

His hands fell from his head. "Havin' a kid would change everything. And that's what this would be. Havin' a kid. We ain't gainin' a friend here or some shit."

"I know," Kay said sternly. "Don't go thinkin' I haven't thought it through."

Gage shook his head and gestured loosely to him. "You're still young, Kay. You haven't even finished figuring shit out yet. You think you wanna tie yourself to being..."

"I don't wanna lose her," Kay said, choosing his words carefully. "It's confusing as fuck, but I just... I want her to stay with us. She's a great kid, Gage. And it's like she's got a little bit of us in 'er already."

"Definitely your bratty side." He nodded upward.

Kay huffed out a watery laugh, then reached out and gripped Gage's neck. "I want this, Gage. I want it with you. And I know you feel the same way. You're shit at hiding it."

Gage held his gaze for what felt like minutes before he finally spoke. "All right, baby."

Kay's chest swelled, and he yanked Gage into a bruising kiss before calling up to Jill. "Let's get outta here, squirt." They heard the door open, and she jogged down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" she asked suspiciously.

"Home," Kay answered. "All three of us."

She smiled, big and bright, and Kay knew they wouldn't regret this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kay comes down with a bad cold, and Jill wants to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a little thing thats been stuck in my head 
> 
> -ellie

 

 

"Gage, I'm dying."

"You have a cold, Kay."

"I can see the light. Bury me in red silk."

"You've been fuckin' _shot_ before, this is nothing."

"Hide my body in Kiddie Kingdom."

Jill barged into the room, carrying a tray of food and a bottle of purified water. "Outta my way."

With a small smile, Gage stepped aside so their daughter could place the tray down on the nightstand and clamber onto the bed. She slapped a hand over Bishop's forehead. "Warm," she announced.

"Give it to me straight, doc," Bishop sighed.

"Gangrene."

Gage barely held back a snicker. "Anything you can do, pumpkin?"

"Soup." She took the bowl off the tray as Bishop sat up.

Gage furrowed his brows. "Where'd you get that soup—?"

Jill's hand flew up. "Shh!" She picked up the spoon and fed the soup to Bishop.

It hadn't been long after they got back to Nuka World from Diamond City that they figured out Jill liked to take care of people and help out. She walked around with Gage and Bishop when Gage went about his usual schedule, asking every few minutes what she could do. When business was a bit too grisly for the six year old, they gave her to Mae - their Overboss usually found something for her to do. If Mae was busy, she'd go to Shorty. Bishop's older brother was a bit upset at first when they brought Jill back, but once it was clear how much Gage and Bishop adored her, he loosened up, even grew to like the kid.

Whenever Jill noticed someone had a cut or scrape on them, she'd force them to sit down so she could bandage them, and gave them a fierce attitude when they tried to refuse. Mckenzie kept her supplied, even gave her a little med kit to carry around like a cross-body bag. When Gage asked why she liked helping so much, Jill simply shrugged.

"You got it from here?" Gage asked her.

"Uh-huh," she nodded, reaching for the water.

"Good. I'll be back in a few."

 

* * *

 

"Hey, cowboy," Mae greeted, lounging against Mason. "How's Bishop doing?"

"He's bein' a damn drama queen," Gage answered. "Was wonderin' if you got anything back home that can get his cold moving along faster."

"Yeah, I can get something. Wait here."

Gage chatted with Mason and Shorty while Mae went into the privacy of her room to relay into the Institute. She was back in a couple of minutes with an unlabeled bottle of pills. "This won't cure him right away or anything, but it'll speed things along," she explained. 

"S'fine. It'll give Jill a little more time of playin' doctor." He kissed Mae's cheek. "Thanks, stunner."

"Sure. Oh, and Finn's paying another visit soon. He's bringing his niece along. It'll be good for Jill to have someone close to her age to play with."

Gage cocked a brow. "That watchdog of yours has a niece?"

"Mhm. Josie. Took a lot of begging on my part to convince Finn to bring her to the park, and a lot of reassurance. She's a sweet kid, and I think they'll get along well."

Mason piped up, tugging Mae back onto his lap, "Yeah, I'm sure they'll be fine. Both names start with J, so they already got somethin' in common."

Gage snorted. "Yeah, that's good bondin' material. I'll catch you guys later."

 

When Gage got back to the loft, Jill was placing the empty soup bowl on the table. "Got some medicine for ya," Gage told Bishop, and Jill slid off the bed to walk over to him and tug on his pant leg.

"Lemme do it," she whispered when Gage bent down. He placed two pills in her hand and smiled when she hurried back over to the bed. "Here."

"Thanks, squirt," Bishop accepted, and grabbed his water to chase the medicine down. He burrowed back under the blanket, despite the sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Oh," Jill muttered to herself, rounding the bed and rushing towards the bathroom. She ran head-first into the doorknob, knocking herself back.

Bishop laughed so hard it came out as a wheeze at first before it dissolved into his usual boisterous laugh. Gage loved to hear him laugh almost as much as he loved the man himself, but it wasn't the response you'd want from a parent who just saw their child hit their head.

"That ain't the right reaction, Kay," Gage chuckled, helping Jill back to her feet.

"I know, I know..." The words turned into a fit of giggling as he crawled towards the foot of the bed, a wide grin on his face. "C'mere, my love. You okay?"

"That hurt," Jill grumbled, taking the few steps to Bishop's outstretched hand.

He was still grinning as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're okay. C'mon." He scooped her up and brought her back to the head of the bed, tucking her close and cradling her head as more giggling took over. 

Gage's heart squeezed at the sight. "What'd you want from the bathroom, pumpkin."

"A wet rag for his head," she answered with a pout. "Mama used to do it for me and it always helped me feel better."

The merriment in Bishop's expression fell and his smile faltered. He looked at Gage, and the Raider boss nodded, heading into the bathroom to do the task for Jill. After wetting a rag with cold water, he folded it and gave it to their daughter so she could place it on Bishop's forehead. Gage got into bed himself, settling on the other side of Jill, and the three of them dozed off.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably add to this - it might not be as long as Mae and Mason's AU, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> -ellie


End file.
